U.S. Department of Energy announces cancellation of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors

Key Takeaways

On August 12, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would not continue the designation process for three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs). The cancellation means that DOE is not actively considering any NIETCs, which preempt state and county siting authority for energy infrastructure.

Background

While states and local governments have traditionally exercised authority over the siting of electricity transmission infrastructure, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) granted DOE the ability to designate NIETCs in areas with limited grid capacity.  

After DOE’s authority was expanded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), a NIETC designation explicitly preempted non-federal decision making by permitting construction even in cases where a project was blocked by state or local siting. Transmission project developers in NIETCs can use eminent domain to acquire rights of way for construction, potentially overriding local land use authority and siting powers.  

Cancelled corridor designations

In 2023, DOE began considering NIETC designations, ultimately moving forward with three potential corridors: the Lake Erie-Canada Corridor, Southwestern Grid Connector Corridor and Tribal Energy Access Corridor. After considering national interest needs, DOE announced none would move forward to the next stage of designation. DOE had not previously designated any NIETCs, meaning that none are currently active or under consideration.  

NACo opposes preemptions of counties’ traditional land use authorities and urges DOE to carefully coordinate with states, counties and Tribal governments which have historically managed siting decisions for energy infrastructure. At the 2026 NACo Annual Conference, counties adopted a resolution opposing NIETCs and urging changes to the program to respect county, state and Tribal siting authority and require intergovernmental coordination on transmission projects.

View resolution